As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses continually seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users of information is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems, including computer systems, typically include at least one microprocessor, memory, and various input and output devices. The power consumed by a microprocessor typically generates heat in the interior of the computer system. As computer systems grow in speed and shrink in size, issues of heat dissipation and component spacing in the interior of the computer system become more important. The heat generated by a microprocessor is especially problematic. Because a typical microprocessor does not have a physical structure to remove the heat generated by the microprocessor, many computer systems include a heat sink that is placed near the microprocessor to dissipate the heat generated by the microprocessor. Heat sinks are used to draw heat away from the microprocessor and the motherboard. In many configurations, the heat sink is placed on the surface of the microprocessor package and physically rests on the microprocessor.
As an aid in heat dissipation, a fan is sometimes positioned adjacent to the heat sink. The rotation of the fan produces an air flow that draws air through the fins of the heat sink, cooling the heat sink and aid the transfer of heat away from the microprocessor. Depending on the physical configuration of the heat sink itself, the placement of a fan adjacent the heat sink may be insufficient to draw air through the fins of the heat sink. As an example, if the fins of the heat sinks are spaced too closely together, the air pressure between adjacent fins may prevent directed air from flowing between the fins. In this configuration, the air flow path may travel around the heat sink. Because the air flow path is not through the fins of the heat sink, the effectiveness of the heat sink and its adjacent fan is limited.
One technique for limiting directed air flow around a heat sink involves the placement of a shroud or collar over both the heat sink and the fan. The use of a shroud is intended to limit the air flow path so that the directed air is forced through the fins of the heat sink. If the shroud is not sized correctly, however, the air flow may not be directed through the heat sink. A gap between the shroud and the heat sink may allow the directed air, depending on the pressure differentials existing within the shroud, to flow through the gap and around the heat sink.
Heat sinks vary in size, depending on the heat dissipation requirements of the heat sink, the space configuration of the computer system, and other factors. For a low power processor, a less expensive and smaller heat sink may produce adequate heat dissipation at a lower overall cost to the manufacturer and consumer. For a higher power processor, a more expensive and typically larger heat sink may be required to dissipate the heat produced by the processor. Providing a shroud that is sized to fit each possible microprocessor-heat sink combination for a given computer system design or chassis design will complicate the manufacturing process, as a variety of shroud sizes will be required, complicating the manufacturing and component procurement process.